The Letter
by LitAddict2010
Summary: What if Rory had written a letter to Jess thanking him for encouraging her to go back to Yale? What if she left it sitting on her desk while she ran out for coffee? Set soon before Yale graduation.
1. Chapter 1

What if Rory had written a letter to Jess thanking him for encouraging her to go back to Yale? What if she left it sitting on her desk while she ran out for coffee?

Just had this idea and had to write it!

Set soon before Yale graduation. Every thing's still the same, haven't altered the storyline of the show.

I also do not own any part of Gilmore Girls. If I did, Jess and Rory would have ended up together.

* * *

_Dear Jess, _

_I know you probably don't want to hear from me, seeing as our last encounter didn't end well. I'm sorry for hurting you. I should have told you from the start that Logan and I were still together. Instead I led you on, thinking that I was getting back at him, that somehow he would feel the same pain I felt. It wasn't fair of me to use you like that. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you. _

_Anyway, I wanted to write to thank you. Thank you for talking some sense into me. Everyone else tried to but I wouldn't listen. You were the only person who really got through to me and made me rethink everything I had done. You were always the only one who could make me do that, the only one who understood me well enough to know exactly what to say to me in any situation. You always knew exactly what I needed to hear. Not even my mom knows me that well. I just wish we had gotten the chance to see if we could make things right. _

_I did love you Jess, and I don't think I've ever stopped. You've always been in the back of my mind. The only thing I could do not to think about you was to find other relationships to keep me occupied. Sure, I love Logan. Which is probably the last thing you want to hear, but I want to tell you why. I love him because he's safe and we're comfortable together. I know that I can depend on him. Sometimes though, that isn't enough. He doesn't make me feel real and alive. With him it's almost like I'm watching a movie about my life, like I'm not really living it, but just watching it pass by me. It was never like that with you, you made me chase after life. _

_I would give anything to get that feeling back, to have you back in my life. Not that you'll ever know that though, because you'll never read this. How is it that I'm able to write all this down but not tell you?_

_Love always, _

_Rory_

* * *

"Hello?"

"Fruit of my loins!" Lorelai exclaimed into the phone.

"Hey mom."

"Where are you?"

"Weston's, I was just going to get coffee but then I got hungry so I'm having some pie," Rory replied.

"That's my girl! Ok well that's perfect, I'm just about to leave the Inn so I'll see you at home in 20?"

"Sure thing, bye mom."

"Bye doll!" Lorelai quickly ended the call and picked up the letter, racing out the door. She had just enough time to get to the Inn, make a copy of the letter, and get home to put the original back where she had found it.

* * *

**A/N: **I realize Rory's letter may not sound like a love letter, but I had a really hard time thinking of how to expand on it. I know this was really short but I didn't want to drag out the beginning. The next chapter will probably be short too, just a forewarning. But for Lit fans, the short chapters will be worth it! I'll update soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Of course this story is centered around Lit, but there has to be some Java action as well. So yes, this chapter is mainly Luke and Lorelai.

* * *

Lorelai hadn't exactly thought her plan through before she launched into action. Of course she didn't think about the fact that she didn't have Jess's address. She didn't think about where she was going to get it either. Obviously she couldn't ask Rory for it, that would defeat the purpose of her secrecy. She tried looking him up on the internet, but all she got was his bio from The Subsect. Which, if her plan worked, she would inquire as to why Rory never told her that the town hoodlum had written a book. His bio had said he worked at a publishing house in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, he didn't feel it necessary to tell his readers the name of the publishing house. So here Lorelai was, wandering around town trying to come up with a solution to her problem. She knew where she was going to end up, she just was going to wander until she was sure there wasn't any other way.

She went to the bridge that she knew Jess hung out at, she browsed the bookstore, she paid a visit to Pierpont, she even stopped to see if the art store had any chalk. She tried anything to try to channel Jess thinking that maybe the answer would just come to her. It didn't.

Feeling defeated, Lorelai headed in the direction of the diner, planning what she was going to say as she walked. When she reached the steps she walked right by without stopping. _'Another lap around the block and I'll be ready._' She thought to herself. So, she walked around the block, considered passing by again but realized she probably already looked ridiculous. She slowed her pace as she rounded the last corner.

Upon entering the diner, she was surprised to find it almost empty. Only Kirk and a couple she had never seen before were present. She sat in her usual spot at the counter, right next to the register and 2 stools away from Kirk.

"Oh hello Lorelai, wasn't expected you to be here." Kirk addressed her, setting down his glass of apple juice next to his blueberry muffin.

"Oh, yeah I just need to ask Luke something, is he here?"

"He went upstairs a few minutes ago, I told him I'd keep an eye on the place." Kirk said proudly.

"Ok, well you're doing a great job."

"Thank you. Mother always said she would never need a watch dog as long as I'm around."

"Really? Hmm, I could've sworn I saw her looking at a pitbull the other day at the pet store."

"What?" Kirk jumped out of his seat and ran out of the diner in the direction of his mother's house. Lorelai stood up and cautiously made her way toward the stairs.

* * *

_Knock Knock Knock_

"What the hell?" Luke questioned quietly walking out of the bathroom toward the door of his apartment. He was sure the shock was evident on his face when he opened it and saw Lorelai on the other side. "Lorelai, um hi…" he greeted her softly.

"Hey, um I just have a favor to ask." Lorelai replied weakly.

"Sure, come on in." He stepped out of the way as she walked in and shut the door behind her. "Do you want to sit?"

"Oh, no it'll just take a second, I was just wondering if you have Jess's address."

"What'd he do now? Did he hurt Rory again? Because if you plan on killing him, I could just take care of that for you." Luke rambled.

"No, no, I'm not going to kill him. He didn't hurt Rory…this time she hurt him. I found a letter she wrote him and I just think he deserves to know what she's thinking."

"So…you want to help Jess?" Luke didn't think he had understood her correctly. Lorelai hated Jess.

"No, I want to help Rory. Basically the letter says she misses him and has never stopped loving him and wants him back. If that's what she wants, I have to support her." Lorelai explained.

"Wow, I had no idea she still felt that way. What about that Huntzberger guy she's with?"

"I don't know…she says in the letter that he doesn't make her feel the way Jess did. That with Logan she feels like she is watching a movie about her life, but with Jess she was really living it. She wrote that Jess made her feel real and alive and Logan doesn't. She said that Jess has always been in the back of her mind and that Logan was just a distraction. I don't know Luke, I read it and I could feel the pain she has stored away and the passion that she feels toward Jess. I need him to know how she feels because I don't want her to end up like me!" Somewhere in her explanation she had started crying and realized that Rory's words resembled Lorelai's feelings about Luke.

Luke crept closer to Lorelai and cautiously put his arms around her. She reciprocated by leaning into his chest, her arms pressed between them as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"What do you mean you don't want her to end up like you?" Luke asks quietly.

"I don't want her to feel like she gave up her chance at love because she didn't tell him how she really feels."

"Well I bet he would give her as many chances as she wants." Luke replied, not only referring to Rory.

"But what if she's too late?" Lorelai picked up on his statement and couldn't help but go along with it. She never wanted to admit to herself that she missed Luke terribly. But being here in his arms made her want nothing more than to start working to get back to where they were.

"She's not." Luke boldly replied, pulling away from Lorelai slightly to look into her eyes.

Lorelai felt him pull away and looked up at him. "So you think if she told him she still loved him and made a mistake that he would just run back to her?"

"Well I think there would be a lot of stuff they would have to talk about and some things they would have to work through. But if he still feels the same way about her, yes I think he would jump at the chance to have her back." Luke replied, never looking away from her beautiful blues.

"Do you think he feels the same way?" Lorelai asked, knowing that they were no longer talking about only Jess and Rory.

Luke took a moment to stare deep into her eyes before answering. "I know he does," he said softly before dipping his head to place a tender kiss on her lips. Lorelai quickly reciprocated, relishing in the feeling of his soft lips against hers. It wasn't until now that she realized how much she had really missed him. After a few moments she detached herself from him to rest her forehead on his.

"I really missed you." She told him softly.

"You have no idea." He replied with a small smile, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Now, I believe you came here for an address." He said pulling away from her and walking over to his bedside table. Opening the second drawer he pulled out his address book and flipped through the pages as he walked back to her. He pulled his ordering pad out of his back pocket, wrote the address on the first piece of paper, ripped it out and handed it to Lorelai.

"Thank you." Lorelai said with a smile.

"No, thank you." Luke replied, pulling her closer and placing another kiss on her forehead.

"We have a lot of stuff to work through."

"We'll start when I bring dinner over tonight."

"Cheeseburgers? And fries, and onion rings, and pie. OH OH OH! COFFEE!" Lorelai exclaimed as she back toward the door.

"Crazy woman," was all Luke could say as he opened the door and followed his girlfriend down the stairs. _'It's good to have her back'_ He thought to himself.

* * *

**A/N: **I needed to get Luke and Lorelai's reunion out of the way so in later chapters I can concentrate more on the reason you all are reading! My plan right now is to have Jess make an appearance in the next chapter. So stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

"Jess! Mail!" Matt exclaims walking into the apartment. He throws the mail down on the table and proceeds to go sit on the couch and turn on tv.

Jess comes out of his room and grabs the mail. "Maybe sometime you should try sorting it, and while you're at it, open the stuff addressed to you."

"I do, eventually. I don't like to get to eager."

"What if it's important?" Jess asks his roommate and business partner, as he separates his mail from the pile.

"If it was the sender could call." Matt concluded.

Jess grabs his pile and goes back to his room. Sitting down on the bed he looks through it and stops at the third envelope. The return address was from Stars Hollow, not only that, it was from the most unexpected sender. He considered not opening it at all, but then reconsidered. His curiosity got the best of him and slipped his finger under the flap and ripped the envelope open. Inside were three pieces of paper. Two of them were folded into thirds but they were separated. The third piece of paper was thicker and was a small rectangle.

He pulled out one of the larger pieces of paper, it had been taped on the fold and had "read second," written in the corner. _'What the hell?' _He thinks to himself. Leave it to Lorelai Gilmore to confuse the hell out of him. Sighing, he places the folded piece of paper on the bed next to him and pulls out the other. Taking a nervous deep breath he opens it and starts to read…

_Dear Jess,_

_I never thought I would ever be writing you a letter, especially a letter like this one. But once again, fate decided to turn the tables on me. It's like as soon as I'm in a good place, the universe has to shake things up. Maybe it's a way of keeping me on my toes, maybe without the twists and turns I would turn dull. We wouldn't want that now would we? _

_Anyway, I'm going to cut right to the chase, as I'm not one for small talk, especially with people I don't really care for. I found the enclosed letter in Rory's room. Now I wasn't snooping so don't go telling her I was, I walked in and saw it sitting on her desk. I should have just turned around and left it alone, but well, you know me and that's just not my style. So I read it, and spontaneously decided that you should too. I know that this is classified as sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but I couldn't help it. And thinking about it now, I realize that it's a lot like something my mother would do. Great, the last thing I need is to be compared to Emily Gilmore! _

_The point of this is, I want you to read what Rory has to say. She doesn't know that I sent this, and she probably won't be happy when she finds out. But I know what it's like to regret not telling someone how you feel, and I don't want Rory to feel that way. _

_Also enclosed is a ticket to Rory's graduation. It was difficult but I finally got my hands on one. I know this is short notice, if you even got it on time. You don't have to come, but if after reading Rory's letter you decide that you do feel the same way, I hope you will. _

_Sincerely, _

_Lorelai Gilmore_

Jess looks up from the piece of paper with a shocked expression on his face. Quickly folding it back into thirds, he puts it back into the envelope. He picks up the second letter and it isn't until he goes to remove the tape that he realizes his hands are shaking. Carefully pulling the tape loose and unfolding the paper, he begins to read.

Dropping the letter into his lap, Jess runs his hands through his hair and takes a deep breath. He didn't know what to think. Last time he had seen Rory she seemed pretty convinced she was in love with that blonde dick. He thought that had been it, that was his last chance. After that night, he was sure that anything they had and any feelings they had shared were gone. He had even tried to move on. For nearly two weeks after that night he went out every night to get drunk and find some lonely girl to sleep with. He should have known numerous one night stands wouldn't help him get over Rory. He finally concluded that he would never get over her and he would just have to live with the pain. This letter changed everything.

He took the ticket out of the envelope and saw that the graduation ceremony was to take place at 1pm tomorrow. He would have to leave early to get there on time. Did he have any work thing planned tomorrow? _'Oh stop Mariano! You can't just show up at her graduation!_' No, he couldn't go. What if Rory didn't react well to him being there? He couldn't bear to think he ruined her graduation just by being there. Frustrated, he got up and grabbed Rory's letter and his jacket, leaving the ticket behind on his bed.

"Dude where ya going?" Matt questioned as Jess stormed out of his room.

"Walk." Was all Jess said before throwing open the door and slamming it shut behind him.

* * *

_Meanwhile in Connecticut…_

Rory takes a break from spackleling the holes in the wall and goes to make herself a bowl of cereal. Sighing when she sees that Paris has reserved the milk, she sits on a box with her dry cereal. She can't help but look at the little blue box sitting next to her. Setting her cereal aside she picks up the box and removes the ring. She gently slides it onto her finger and holds her hand out to admire it. The ring is gorgeous, and it looks perfect on her hand. She smiles, but only for a second.

Fiddling with the ring she considers, yet again, the offer being made to her. Of course she should marry Logan. She loves him, and he loves her. They've been together for almost 3 years, it's expected that they get engaged now. He's also high society, he's part of her grandparent's world, making him a perfect match for her. Much better than Dean or…Jess. They weren't acceptable partners for her; they weren't in the same class. But Logan, he's a Huntzberger. She would be crazy to turn down a Huntzberger!

Yet, with all arrows pointing to yes, something didn't feel right. Something was missing. When you get proposed to, you aren't supposed to hesitate. You aren't supposed to take time to think about it, you're just supposed to know. Even though Rory always thought everything over, made pro/con lists, and discussed her options with Lorelai, she knew that a proposal should be an exception to her routine.

Sliding the ring off her finger, she places it back in its rightful spot in the box. Closing the lid, she sighs. Tomorrow was her graduation, it was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life. Instead, it would also include hurting the man she has loved for the last 3 years.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey loyal readers, I like quick updates but I move in a couple days and have just been really busy. On top of that I wasn't sure how to go about this chapter.

Also, while writing this I watched Rory's graduation episode and I had forgotten that Logan asked Lorelai's permission to propose. So for the sake of the story, pretend he didn't.

* * *

"Say cheese!" Richard says as he snaps a picture of Luke, Lorelai, and Rory. It's the perfect family photo. Rory had just graduated from Yale and she was elated that Luke had joined her mother to attend the ceremony. Things were finally getting back to normal. It was a happy moment, that is until she spots Logan close by.

"I'll be right back." She says quietly to her mother as she walks away toward him.

"Where's she going?" Luke asks his girlfriend.

"Logan."

"Ah." Hearing footsteps behind him, Luke turns and is shocked to see his nephew approaching. "What the…"

"Hey Uncle Luke." Jess greets him as he stops to stand in front of him. Lorelai turns at the sound of his voice.

"Jess! You actually came!"

"Yeah, I wasn't going to, but your letter made me feel like I may have a shot," Jess looks around nervously, "where is she?"

"Um, she just went to talk to Logan…" Lorelai replies, glancing in her daughter's direction, "if he walks over here with her…you may want to leave. I'll explain later." She pats Jess on the shoulder and gives him a comforting look. When she sent him the letters and ticket, she wasn't expecting Logan to propose. If Rory says yes to Logan, Jess would have come for nothing. She couldn't imagine how he would feel. She watched Rory and Logan from a distance, trying to see if she could make sense of the conversation they were having.

Luke grabs Jess by the arm and pulls him away from the group. No matter what Rory's saying to Logan, it's not going to help either way if Jess is suddenly there when she gets back.

* * *

Rory is nervous as she walks up to Logan. Stopping in front of him she takes a deep breath.

"Hey, congratulations!" Logan greets her.

"Thanks."

"You looked great, no tripping, no dropping the diploma…"

"No nothing like that."

"…I remember when I graduated, I was a little tipsy, big surprise huh? And I did trip and I reached out and grabbed the robe of Marsha Hadley, who was so not the person to grab…"

"Logan," Rory interrupts him. She has to get this out. "I'm sorry, I can't. I love you. You know how much I love you. I love the idea of being married to you. But…there are a lot of things in my life right now that are undecided and that used to scare me but now, I kind of like the idea that it's just all kind of wide open. And if I married you, it just wouldn't be." Rory was hurt by the words that were coming out of her mouth. She couldn't believe she was turning him down. But she knew it wasn't right to get married right now.

"So what? I go to San Francisco and you stay on the East and we see each other occasionally?" Logan can't believe what he's hearing. The first girl he's ever committed to was turning down his proposal.

"No, I think it would be best if we took some time…apart."

"So that's it? We're over?"

She doesn't want to have to say those words. Instead of answering, she pulls the box out of her pocket and holds it out to him. For a moment, Logan doesn't take it. Finally, realizing that she was serious, he grabs the box.

"Goodbye Rory." Is all he says before walking away from the first girl he truly loved.

* * *

Lorelai lets out a relieved sigh when she sees Logan walking away from Rory. She knows it must have killed Rory to say no to him, but she was glad she did.

"Hey sweets," Lorelai puts her arm around Rory's shoulders as she walks up to her, "you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." Rory nods and smiles reassuringly. Richard reaches out to give her a half hug, while Emily looks at her disappointedly and turns her head away from her.

"Well Rory, we should get going, we'll see you for dinner on Friday?" Emily asks her granddaughter.

"Yes, of course Grandma." Rory replies. After one last pat on the shoulder, Richard follows his wife to their car. "She's mad." Rory states turning to her mom.

"Ignore her Rory. It was your decision, she'll get over it."

"I hope so. God Mom it was so hard. I've never seen him so hurt, but I had to do it you know? I'm too young to get married."

"I know honey, its ok. You made the right choice."

"So you did have an opinion!" Rory accuses.

"Of course I did! But like I said, it was your decision. I would have been ok with it either way."

"Thanks Mom, hey…where's Luke?" Rory questions, just realizing they were alone.

"Oh um…he went for a walk…listen babe, I think there's something I should tell you. Here, sit." Lorelai ushers Rory to the bench. "I might have done something bad…"

"Mom! No! You and Luke just got back together, you couldn't have messed it up already!"

"No honey, it's not about Luke…it's about Jess…" Lorelai pauses there, giving Rory a moment to react.

"What? What does Jess have to do with anything?"

"I found your letter…"

"What? Did you read it?"

"Yes, and I sent it…look I know you're mad right now but I really thought he deserved to know what you were thinking! When I read it I could feel your pain. I knew you wouldn't tell him, and I didn't want you to regret not telling him. I know what that feels like and I didn't want you to have to go through that sort of pain. I'm sorry." Lorelai ranted.

"I can't believe you did that mom." Rory was livid. She never intended for Jess to read that letter. "Why did you do it? You hate Jess, why would you want him to know how I feel?"

"Because if that letter was an indication, he makes you happy, and that's all I want."

"It still doesn't make it ok."

"I know and I'm sorry. But there's more…" Rory was already upset, so Lorelai was dreading telling her that Jess was here. "…along with your letter, I sent one of my own…and a ticket to graduation."

"WHAT? Is he here?" Rory was shocked, the last thing she needed right now was to see Jess. She was already confused about her feelings toward him, seeing him now, and knowing that Logan was out of the picture, would just make it worse.

"Yes, he's with Luke."

"Mom what am I supposed to do now? I just turned down Logan and now I have to face Jess?"

"I don't know, I'm sorry, I didn't know Logan was going to propose! If I did I wouldn't have sent the letter or invited him here."

"I know, it's ok. I just have to figure out what I'm going to say to him."

"Well you better start thinking, because he and Luke are coming up behind you." Lorelai said, noticing the two men walking up to them. Rory turned around and upon seeing them, stood up. Lorelai followed suit. As they approached, Luke motioned for Lorelai to follow him. Placing a gentle touch on Rory's arm, Lorelai followed Luke, leaving Jess and Rory standing there in silence.

* * *

A/N: Also upon writing this, I decided to leave Chris out. So pretend he was out of town on business or something. I'm not too pleased with this chapter. It didn't go as smoothly as I wanted it to. But I hope it was ok.


	5. Author's Note

Author's Note

Hey guys! I know, everyone hates author's notes as chapters, I do too. But I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to write up a new chapter let alone upload it. I started college and it's been so crazy! Christmas break is coming up in a few weeks though so I'll make it a priority to update then! Hope I haven't lost any readers because of the long dry period! Love you all! Stay tuned.


	6. Chapter 5

"Hi." Jess is the first to speak.

"Hey." Rory smiles slightly.

"So, how does it feel to be a college graduate?" Jess decides not to jump right into the reason he's standing in front of her quite yet.

"Makes me feel old, but it feels good too, like now I can go conquer the world" she replies with a smile that radiates happiness despite the hurt she feels over the end of her relationship.

"Which I have no doubt you will do"

"Well I don't know if I'll conquer it, but I'll at least write about it"

"Still want to be Christiane Amanpour?"

"Nope, I want to be Rory Gilmore. She'll always be my inspiration, but I think that if I aspire to BE her, I may be setting myself up for failure. Instead, I want to create my own path, if I end up being like her that's great, if not then I know I'll still be doing something that will make me happy."

"Wow, then what's next? New York Times?" Jess couldn't help but imagine them living in New York together, her working at the Times, him expanding on Truncheon Books.

"No, I didn't get the fellowship at the Times, so right now there's nothing next. I'm a tumbleweed blowing wherever the wind takes me."

"Doesn't that scare you?"

"Not at all, I kind of like that I don't have a plan. It should make me nervous, it's so unlike me to be ok with the unknown but I am."

Jess is impressed by her answer. Rory had always been sure of herself, but now she was speaking with a more advanced confidence. She knew what she wanted out of life but she no longer had her journey there mapped out. This made Jess even more attracted to her than he already was. He had always felt that he was a tumbleweed blowing wherever the wind took him, and now that she felt the same way he thought maybe that would be a blessing to their relationship. If she was open to not having a plan he could work that to his advantage.

"Jess…" Rory's beautiful voice saying his name broke him away from his thoughts, "you ok?"

"What? Yeah of course" he replied.

"You seemed off in your own world for a minute there…" Rory said, wondering what he had been thinking about, hoping he had been thinking about her, but at the same time scared that he may have been.

"Sorry, just…thinking," he replied.

"RORY!" Lorelai exclaimed as she and Luke walked back up to them, "ready to go? You know half the town is going to be waiting anxiously at the diner for our reenacting! "

"Reenacting?" Jess questioned.

"You're surprised?" Rory questioned him back.

"Guess I shouldn't be."

"Never be surprised by the actions of the citizens of Stars Hollow." Luke said.

_Stars Hollow, later that night_

Rory and Jess are cleaning up the diner. They had sent Luke and Lorelai back to the Crap Shack about an hour ago, volunteering to clean up the mess left behind by the crazy townspeople. Jess was putting the chairs up as Rory finished putting away the dishes. When they had both completed their task they collapsed onto the bar stools and put their heads on their arms on the counter.

"I'm exhausted!" Rory exclaimed.

"It was your idea to send them home; we could've been done in half the time."

"They both did more than enough today, they deserved the break."

Jess only nodded. It was silent then for a few minutes. Rory wanted to say something but didn't know how to approach the topic of why Jess was there. She figured the fact that he came was a good sign but she still felt the unmistakable butterflies in her stomach that she had only ever felt around him.

"Jess…" she said softly, almost a whisper, "why did you come?" She picked her head up then.

Jess picked his head up as well and glanced at her briefly before looking straight ahead.

"I felt like I had to…" he paused then, wanting to get his words right, "your mom's letter wasn't forced, she seemed like she genuinely wanted me to come. I felt like she was finally giving our relationship her stamp of approval and for her to do that gave me hope."

"What do you hope for?" Rory asked him quietly.

"You. Ever since the day I meant you I wanted you to be mine. You aren't like anyone I've ever met before. You make me feel alive. Before I met you, I didn't have a care in the world. I had a shitty attitude and I was a jerk. When I met you I wanted to be different. I wanted to be someone you would want. You make me better. There's no way I would be where I am right now if it wasn't for you coming into my life and inspiring me. It's you that pushes me to do better, when you told me you were proud of me for writing my book and for Truncheon…that was one of the greatest feelings in the world. I would do anything to make you proud of me, to make you happy. If you're happy Rory, I'm happy. Granted, I'd be happier if you were with me instead of some other guy, but I genuinely want you to be happy."

Jess paused and Rory just stared at him. She couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. She barely had time to register what he had just spilled out before he started speaking again.

"Rory I want to be with you. I've always wanted to be with you and without you in my life, there's no reason for me to live. God that is such a cliché and I hate clichés. But its how I feel. You said in your letter that you would give anything to get what we had back. I would do anything too Rory. I'm not going to beg you to come away with me, but I'm not going to run away. I'm sorry I did in the first place. I'd do anything to take it back, but I can't. All I can do is make it better now, so if you'll let me, I'm going to go where you go. If that means coming back to Stars Hollow, so be it. I'd rather be anywhere with you than anywhere without you."

Jess stopped then, he said all he could think of to say. He looked straight at Rory and it took him a moment to realize she had tears in her eyes.

"I don't know what to say Jess." And she truly didn't. He had never opened up to her like that and it was taking her awhile to process what he had said along with the emotions running through her. Her heart was telling her to throw herself at him and throw caution to the wind. Her brain on the other hand, couldn't get past the pain Jess had caused her in the past.

"Just say you'll think about it." Jess replied, reaching over and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Rory sat there for a moment, letting her thoughts and emotions settle. She had written a letter saying she wanted him back. How could she write that and then turn around and reject him? She couldn't. So for a rare time in the past few years, Rory was going to go with her heart.

"I don't need to think about it Jess, I want you." Rory said confidently before reaching over to pull his face toward hers. As soon as their lips met it was a mix of tenderness and desperation. They stood and pressed their bodies together, feeling the desperation to make up for lost time. They kissed softly and slowly though, embracing the tenderness of the moment. Jess was the first to pull away and he rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you," he breathed softly.

"I love you too Jess, so much." Rory replied before reconnecting their lips. Jess wasted no time in picking her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He led them to the bottom of the stairs and was somehow able to maneuver them up to the apartment without letting her go. Once inside he kicked the door shut behind them and led them to his side of the small space.

And that my friends, is all for now. Sorry for the end, I'm not really big on writing sex scenes. I found I'm not very good at it so we'll stick with my strengths

Author's Note: I realized something while writing this chapter…Rory has ended a relationship at both of her graduations.


End file.
